The Runna Podcast
The Runna Podcast
Runna
Tempo Runs vs Intervals: What’s the Difference? | Coach on Call
18 minutes Posted Oct 16, 2026 at 4:00 am.
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Show notes

If you’ve ever looked at your plan and wondered why it has both tempo runs and intervals, this episode was made for you.


This week, Coach Anya sits down with Runna athlete and Olympian Colleen Quigley for a Coach on Call episode all about training for speed vs training for endurance.


Colleen raced the steeplechase and the 1500m, where it’s all over in minutes. Anya trains to run for hours. So who’s right about what matters more? Turns out, both of them. They get into what each session actually does, how it should feel, and why it’s so easy to run your tempos too fast.


In this episode:

🏃 Tempo vs intervals: What each one looks like on your plan

🔬 The science: Aerobic vs anaerobic and why lactate threshold matters

🐢 Tempo tip: Why starting slower helps you get more from the session

🎯 Your goal: How to match your training to a 5k, a half or a marathon

🚫 Myth busters: Fact or fiction, rapid fire


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